Free At Last part 4, Beauty and the Beast 2012
by BATulip
Summary: Arrested, can Vincent's lawyer save him from a life in prison? disclaimer: I do not own these characters but only borrow them for my own imagination.


Tess found Catherine sitting at their usual table at the coffee shop. She has just gotten her coffee and as she approached the table she noted that Catherine wasn't paying much attention to her arrival, instead she was staring out the window with an intense, pensive look.

"Hey, can anyone sit here?" Tess asked her putting her cup down and sitting across from Catherine. "Cat? Hello? Earth to Cat." Tess waved her hand near Catherine's face in an attempt to gain her friends attention.

Slowly, Catherine turned to Tess, the look in her eyes was haunted and tired as though she had not slept in days. Truthfully, she hadn't. The nightmare of Vincent's arrest was weighing heavy on her, she so badly wanted him with her that it made sleeping impossible, especially since her dreams were starting to turn into nightmares.

"Sorry, I was a million miles away from here" Catherine answered her.

"Thinking about Vincent and the upcoming trial?"

"Yes, I have a meeting with the lawyer again and then I'm heading over to the jail to see him. I miss him terribly and I am so scared this won't work. That he'll be in prison for the rest of his life. I don't think I could survive that, I don't think he could survive it either."

Tess put her hand over Catherine's hand that was resting on the table. Catherine's sorrow was so poignant that even Tess felt herself near to tears. "I wish I could make this all just disappear for you. JT is doing everything he can to find out how this happened in the first place."

"JT. He really is such a great guy isn't he?" Catherine said wiping the stray tear from her cheek.

"Yes, he really is."

"So how long has it been going on between you two?"

Startled, Tess choked on the sip of coffee she just took. "What do you mean?" she said coughing into a napkin. "Are you trying to change the subject?"

"Who me?" Catherine chuckled at her, "I just wanted to talk about something that was happier than my situation."

Tess stared at her friend for a time, then letting out a sigh "Fine, we've been seeing each other for a while. I was already at JT's when you called to let me know Vincent was arrested."

"But it sounded like I woke…."Catherine's voice trailed off and she started to grin, then she burst out laughing.

"Really Cat? Is it that funny for JT and me to be together?"

"OH NO, no, no that's not, no Tess, I'm sorry. That's not why I'm laughing, I'm actually very happy for the both of you. I think you two are perfect for each other. I can just imagine the bickering." Catherine chuckled. "I think I'm just very relieved that something good is coming from all this horrible disaster." Catherine turned all serious again at this last statement, "and I think I'm just a little bit jealous."

"Jealous? Why" Tess asked.

"You and JT can have a normal, everyday old relationship. You don't have to worry about some secret society suddenly popping up out of the woodwork trying to destroy you or tear you apart. You can both lead normal lives. Vincent and I will probably never have that."

"Him being a beast kind of makes that a moot point anyway doesn't it? Look, you knew what you were getting yourself into when you chose to be with Vincent. So this whole jealous thing is a bunch of crap."

"Ouch Dr. Laura."

"I'm sorry if I sound a bit harsh but you can't be this melancholy, all sad and depressed girlfriend. You need to keep your wits about you, kind of like when Vincent was kidnapped and you spent every waking moment searching for him. Vincent needs you. He needs you to be strong and to not give up. We will win this and I will not let you give up or give in. JT and I will stand beside you all the way and for the record, dating the friend of a beast is not all that normal."

With that Tess sat back and crossed her arms staring intently at Catherine as she stared back at Tess, her lips pressed together in annoyance. Slowly Tess's lips started to twitch as she vainly tried to hold in a grin. Catherine stared at her in mock anger until she felt her own lips twitch as she too tried to hold in a grin, a sudden snort did them both in and before they knew it they were both laughing in hysterics. It felt good to release all those pent up emotions and the more they tried to control themselves the worse it got. After a couple moments, a few more giggles and snorts, they both wiped tears of mirth from their eyes and started to regain control and get themselves back to the business at hand.

"I can't believe how good that felt. I haven't laughed like that in a very long time." Catherine said grinning at her friend, "and you're right. I was wallowing in self-pity. Thanks for not letting me stay there."

"Hey, what are friends for." Tess said with a grin.

"Not just friends." Catherine replied back with a smile. "So, let's go over what we do have and what our next step will be."

Criminal Defence Attorney Victoria Jackson sat in her office chair, gazing out the window, contemplating her upcoming meeting with Detective Chandler. Their dinner a few nights ago at Saul's Place was illuminating to say the least. Victoria knew about Catherine's father's involvement with the kidnapping of Vincent Keller, how he had brainwashed him and trained him to be a hired killer. Gabe had been most forthcoming with a lot of background information and Victoria was reluctant to believe some if not all of what she was told. Not that any of it could be used in a court of law but it sure made it a lot messier than just an open and shut case of whodunit. Thankfully, the warrant for Vincent's arrest was based on an anonymous phone call and what appeared to be planted evidence. Proving that Vincent was framed was going to be tricky since it appeared everyone was chomping at the bit for someone to take the blame for Windsor's murder and Mr. Keller was certainly an easy scapegoat. That Vincent had dated Windsor's daughter also made him a likely suspect even though he vehemently stated that nothing ever happened between the two of them and that he was just as surprised as everyone else that Tori had willed her inheritance to him. Strangely enough, Victoria believed him and that was rare for her. Most of the cases she defended she wasn't entirely sure of her client's innocence, she still defended them and gave 110% which caused her to win more times then she lost, in fact her track record was 10 to 1 which made her the most sought after defence lawyer in the state. That Mr. Keller was in fact guilty of these charges, made this case all the more interesting. The more information she dug up the more convoluted it became. That the ADA was requesting she find a way to get the case dismissed before it ever went to trial caused her to want to know everything she possibly could about Mr. Keller and Detective Chandler. So far all the information she was able to get from Catherine was basic and neutral but Victoria wanted to know more. She wanted to know how Catherine's family fit in all this, how the two of them met and if Mr. Keller was the person who saved her when her mother was killed 10 years ago. Victoria turned back to her desk and picked up the newspaper clipping of a young Catherine Chandler, the heading of the article said that she had been saved by a beast. There was something huge going on here and Victoria was never one to turn away from anything once it captured her thoughts and imagination. Victoria glanced at her watch, it was time to leave for her appointment with Catherine. They were meeting again at Saul's Place as it was the safest place to meet where one didn't have to worry about being overheard or secretly spied on. Victoria was pleasantly surprised at the warm reception Catherine got from Saul. Many years ago Victoria defended Saul on some trumped up law suit that a rival levied against Saul in an effort to gain Saul's restaurant and territories, Victoria was able to prove that Saul was innocent of all charges and it had gained her a place to bring clients such as Catherine Chandler. Apparently Detective Chandler had done Saul a good deed once upon a time as well and was granted the same privileges. Being Saul's friend was infinitely more beneficial than being his enemy and Victoria had no doubts that a few of those enemies were given cement shoes and taken for a boat ride out into the harbour. With a sigh, Victoria grabbed her purse and briefcase and left her office for her meeting with Detective Chandler.

Catherine was sitting in a dark corner of Saul's sipping on a cappuccino when Victoria walked in. The Hostess walked Victoria to Catherine's table and once she was seated placed a menu in front of her, "A waiter will be with you shortly" the hostess said with a slight bow of her head and walked away leaving the women to their privacy.

"Detective, nice to see you again. I wish the circumstances were more favorable."

"Ms. Jackson, nice to see you. I hope you have some good news for me."

"Well, so far the charges seem a bit outlandish. We both know the truth of what really happened and I must say I am still trying to wrap my head around the whole thing. There isn't much there for the prosecutor and personally unless he has something he isn't divulging the case can easily be dismissed. I have to let you know, there is an anonymous donor to the financial side of this case. Seems someone is just as interested in getting Vincent freed as you are."

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

"Someone has paid the entire bill for Vincent's defence, the retainer, the court costs, everything. I don't know who it is as it came in as an anonymous donation but you should know so that it is one less thing for you to worry about."

"Maybe it was Gabe. Being the ADA he certainly can't be known to have paid for the defence of someone the district attorney is trying to convict. I'll find out but I'm sure he won't tell me if he doesn't want it known."

At that time the waiter arrived with a bottle of wine "Compliments of Saul for you ladies" the waiter stated as he poured them both a glass, set the bottle on the table and told them he would return in a couple minutes to take their order.

Victoria waited until the waiter left to pull out the file she had on Vincent and all the documentation regarding Curt Windsor's murder. She opened the file and took out the coroner's report.

"This report is the most damaging in that it states the horrific way that Mr. Windsor died. Since you were there I don't have to go over the details but I will state that there is no DNA evidence what so ever on Mr. Windsor that links Vincent as his killer." Victoria put her head in her hands

"This is really hard for you isn't it?"

"Usually clients don't always divulge the entire truth, they hold fast to their innocence stating that whatever it is they are being charged with they didn't do. In this case I was told the whole entire, grisly truth. I know Vincent didn't mean to do this, that it was whatever DNA concoction he has in him magnified by Windsor's daughter Tori who also had said crazy DNA that she inherited from her father. Do you have any idea how crazy all this sounds? How did this all happen to him and how did you end up getting involved?"

"This story is bigger than you think but I will start at 11 years ago when my mother was shot right in front of me." Catherine nodded as Victoria placed the newspaper article on the table. "The gunmen that shot my mother came after me. Survival instinct took over and I ran, into the woods that were behind us. I fell, hitting my head, the gunmen were right behind me. Suddenly out of nowhere this creature showed up, tore the two men to pieces and disappeared into the night. Everyone said I was crazy because I thought I saw a beast, I even had to go for therapy. I wasn't crazy, it was Vincent. He had been tailing my mother to protect her he didn't know it at the time but she was someone who was there the day his DNA was altered. My mother was one of his doctors and even though he didn't remember that at the time, he still felt some need to protect her. On the day she died Vincent had become my protector only I didn't know that until we met almost two years ago. What happened that night when Curt died was that Vincent was protecting us. Windsor was also a beast, ya wild eh. He passed his genetic makeup to his daughter Tori. Her DNA had a strange effect on both Curt and Vincent, it magnified the beast side of them somehow. We had this plan to try and save Curt's life, kill the beast but save him, then Tori showed up and Curt went out of control, he would have killed us all had Vincent not stopped him. It was brutal and I had a hard time coming to terms with it. Things went downhill badly after that and Vincent and I split for a time. Before Tori died Vincent had started to gain control over his beast side, to the point where Tori wasn't affecting him anymore. When Tori died the person he was before all this was starting to emerge again. He is not a danger to anyone, his instinct is always to help others, to save others. He should not have to pay for what others have done to him, what others have created him to be. Those who created him called him a monster and he has done everything he can to rise above that and prove that he is not a monster. I couldn't love him if he was." Tears were coursing down Catherine's cheek unheeded, evidence of the pain she was enduring and the love she felt for Vincent in her impassioned plea for understanding.

Victoria was moved by the story, she looked down at the table, took a deep breath, grabbed her glass of wine, tipped it in Catherine's direction and took a long sip. Victoria put the glass down on the table, linked her fingers together on the table and looked directly into Catherine's eyes. "That was some story," she said. "I will help, I have some ideas. Here comes the waiter. Let's order and I well outline my strategy."

The two women ordered their dinner and Victoria began outlining what she planned and how she was going to deal with the case. Victoria was impressed by Catherine and if ever Vincent needed a character witness, Catherine would be his shining star. Victoria had also met with JT and was just as impressed by him. She knew Vincent was a likable kind of guy when she met him to introduce herself, his wit and charm were disarming and she instantly felt comfortable in his presence. Having two stellar examples of friendship and love just raised Vincent up in her estimation and Victoria knew she would fight tooth and nail to make sure this man did not spend any more time in jail then he already had. The two women ate their dinner and talked quietly about Vincent and the trial. After wards they both said their good-byes until the arraignment in the morning.

The next morning the DA's office was in a frenzy as police and ambulance attended an older woman who had been found bound and gagged in the supply closet. She didn't remember anything except a sudden cloth being pressed to her mouth and a sickly sweet smell before everything went dark. The next thing she remembered was waking up in the closet, bound hand and foot with a gag around her mouth and the worst headache she had ever had. She had used her bound feet to kick at the door until someone came and investigated and found her there. They called 911 but aside from a headache caused by the chloroform the woman seemed fine. There also didn't appear to be anything missing or stolen from the DA's offices. All electronics were in their places, none showed any security breach so everyone was quite confused as to why this had occurred. They were currently watching all the security videos and noted that someone had disguised themselves as a janitor but was acting as though they were actually cleaning the offices. The person was clever, never once showing their face to the security cameras and left not one finger print or fibre. Why would someone knock out the janitor only to take on the janitor's duties? It made no sense unless the person needed it to look like nothing was amiss. The DA made everyone check their files to make sure all was as it should be and for all intents and purposes everything looked just the way it should. With nothing to go on and nothing missing the police left with instructions to contact them the moment something was discovered as being out of place or missing but the chances of finding the person who did this was slim to none, there just was no evidence. Once everyone had left and the janitor was given the okay, having been unhurt by the ordeal, the DA set about getting ready for the day's trails. There were two trials, one arraignment. The DA unlocked his file cabinet, grabbed the files he needed, put everything in his briefcase and then called for his intern.

"Sir, you called for me?" The DA was impressed with this young man in the short two weeks he had been employed, he had all the potential to be a serious lawyer and was always ready and willing to do whatever the DA asked of him whether it was running errands, taking documents to be filed with the court, research for an upcoming trial, everything, he was quickly becoming the staff favorite.

"Jason, I need you to go to evidence and get the box for Vincent Keller's trial, here are the forms you will need. Bring the box to the court house by 9AM."

"Yes, sir, right away sir." Jason took the forms from the DA's hand, spun on his heels and made his way to his car.

The DA chuckled at Jason's enthusiasm, he swore one day that kid was going to salute him. Jason arrived at the precinct evidence locker and showed the attendant guard the forms from the DA and his ID. He signed the register as the guard went to grab the box. "Everything looks in order Jason, here's the box. Hope everything goes well at the trial, that dude deserves to be locked away."

"Amen to that." Jason said as he took the box from the guard's hand. Jason walked back to his car, putting the evidence box on the seat next to him and drove out of the station's underground parking.

The DA was pacing in front of the courthouse, it was 8:55AM and Jason had not shown up yet. It was very unlike him and he should have been there already waiting for the DA to show up. The DA had called to make sure that Jason had picked up the evidence and was assured that he had been there 45 minutes ago, so where the heck had he gone after that? Without the evidence the DA had a flimsy at best case against Mr. Keller, he needed what was in that box. ADA Lowen saw the look on the DA's face as he ascended the stairs leading up to the courthouse.

"Something wrong Brian?" he said to the DA

"I'm missing my intern, he went to collect the evidence from the station for Vincent Keller's trial and that was 45 minutes ago. I have to get to the courtroom, are you joining us?"

"Yes, I will be there shortly." Gabe was pensive as he watched the DA storm into to the courthouse. Gabe had never met this intern that Brian spoke of and wondered who he was. After all the stuff that had gone on this morning with the janitor things were starting to look very suspicious.

Victoria was already seated at the defence table when the DA stormed over to his, quirking an eyebrow at him she enquired if something was wrong. The DA glared at her before coming over to her and leaning down he whispered vehemently "If you had something to do with this I will have you disbarred."

Startled, Victoria replied back "What on earth are you talking about?"

"Oh, you know very well what I'm talking about, Jason, the evidence. Where is it?" The DA was so angry that he missed the look that crossed Victoria's face. Too late he realized his mistake.

"Evidence, you have or should I say HAD evidence and you didn't think to inform me of this? And now it is missing. Well done Brian. Not only did you withhold information that would be critical to our defence but now it's missing? So what does this mean? You don't have a case? Here is what I am proposing: drop all charges and sign Mr. Keller's release papers or I will sue the district attorney's office for wrongful arrest and reckless endangerment." Victoria's look of triumph wasn't lost on Brian as his cheeks turned a mottled red. "You might want to return to your table counsellor and think about what I just said. Oh and you might want to calm down, this anger thing you have going on right now can't be good for your blood pressure."

At that moment the bailiff entered the courtroom. "All rise, Superior Court of the State of New York, the Honorable Judge Marshall presiding is now in session. Please be seated and come to order."

"Thank you Bailiff. Everyone be seated. First up, State of New York vs Vincent Ryan Keller in the wrongful death of Curt Windsor. Counsellors, are we ready to proceed?"

"Yes, your Honor the defence is ready." Victoria stated.

The DA was seated at his table, seething at the turn of events. He hoped all was not lost and that he could use the information he had still sitting in the folder at his fingertips. He opened his folder and read the first document. It took a moment for the words to register and he gasped out loud.

"DA Greyson, is the prosecution ready?" The judge asked him.

Your Honor," the DA said standing up, "there had been a police incident at the DA's office this morning."

"Yes, I heard about that. So is something wrong then? I thought there was no evidence of any foul play."

"Well, it first everything seemed fine but now it appears that someone has tampered with these files, sir."

"Counsellor, do you or do you not have a case here?"

Brian looked over at Victoria and glared at her. He never in his life hated anyone as much as he hated her in this moment. Brian was cornered, evidently whoever it was that broke into the DA's office last night had exchanged all the forms and reports for bogus ones. Everything the DA had on Vincent Keller was in this folder and with a cursory glance all seemed fine but once you started reading them that's when the errors and mistakes showed up. The DA had no case against Mr. Keller.

"Counsellor. I ask you again. Do you or do you not have a case against Mr. Keller?"

With a sigh of resignation DA Brian Greyson answered. "Sir, the DA asks that all charges against Mr. Vincent Ryan Keller be dismissed and that he be released on his own recognisance."

"Really? Well now are you certain Counsellor? Is that the general consensus?"

"Yes your Honor, the DA rests its case." Brian stated in defeat.

"Well, I for one am happy to hear that counsellor. My son is currently serving this country and it irked me to no end to have this case fall in my lap, do you understand what I am saying here?"

"Yes your Honor and I am sorry to have wasted the courts time."

The judge rapped his gavel on his desk "In the case of the State of New York vs Mr. Vincent Ryan Keller all charges have been dismissed. The defendant is free to go." The judge rapped his gavel again dismissing the case as the courtroom erupted in chatter over what had just happened.

Catherine and JT were sitting behind the defendants table, both had identical looks of shock on their faces. Catherine turned to JT "Did that just happen?"

"I think so." JT said a grin taking over his face as he looked at Catherine. With a squeal she tackled JT in a hug before turning to Victoria.

"What just happened?" Catherine asked her.

"I am wondering that very same thing. I will have to go and find out from the DA what happened but it appears that all the evidence against Mr. Keller is gone. Remember that anonymous donation I told you about? I'm starting to wonder if this person has a far greater reach than we can comprehend."

"What are you talking about?"

"Another case is about to start, let's go get your Vincent and we will talk. I have a feeling we should go to Saul's for this conversation."

The trio left the courtroom and headed towards the holding area as they waited for Vincent to arrive.

Gabe sat behind the DA's desk, stunned over what just happened.

"Brian, what just happened?"

"This" he growled tossing the file into Gabe's hands, "That break in that happened? That person replaced all the reports and documentation with gibberish. Read it for yourself."

Gabe opened the file, the first thing he noticed was that he couldn't understand what was written there and then realized he wasn't meant to. The sentence structure would start off with legible words but would quickly digress into meaningless jargon and symbols. Whoever did this was very clever. Gabe wondered if Bob was behind this as well as the confiscation of the evidence box. If that was the case Gabe wondered if it was something he should be concerned about.

Vincent sat in the holding area waiting to be taken into the courtroom. Shackles were on his wrists and ankles and he was wearing the awful orange jumpsuit, he was starting to feel anxious and wondered what was taking so long. Shouldn't he be called into to courtroom to face charges?

Finally a guard appeared "Keller? Follow me."

Vincent stood and followed the guard. He was confused when the guard walked past the courtroom door and led him to the front area. The Guard turned and started unlocking the cuffs around Vincent's wrists and ankles. Without a word the guard turned and walked away leaving Vincent alone not knowing what to do. The sound of someone clearing their throat caused Vincent to turn around.

"Vincent Keller I presume?" it was another guard and he was holding a bag out for Vincent to take. "Here are your clothes, you can change in that room right there to your left."

"Change? What's going on?"

"Did that other guard not tell you? Figures. Your case was dismissed, you're free to go. I have some forms for you to sign and then I will make sure all of your belongings are returned to you. Is there anything left in your cell that you want?"

"Um, no I have no personal effects there." Vincent said as he turned to the change room. A couple minutes later he walked out of the change room in his civilian clothes, the guard waiting for him proceeded to list off all the effects that were in a sealed envelope: watch, keys and wallet. The wallet had a couple hundred dollars, and ID card, a credit card. "Everything look in order?" the guard asked Vincent.

"Yup everything looks to be here."

"Excellent. Please sign this release form. Here, here, here and here. And on these ones here, here and here. All right. That's looks to be about it. I'm glad things worked out for you. Word of advice? Don't come back here."

"I won't" Vincent promised with a smile as the guard pressed the buzzer that opened the door that led to freedom. Vincent gave the door a slight push and walked through. Was the light brighter on this side of the door, Vincent wasn't sure but it certainly felt like it. He glanced around finally spotting the one person he ached to see, his Catherine. Suddenly she was in his arms holding him tightly

"I can't believe this is over and that you are free." Vincent could feel her relief as he held her tightly. JT stepped over and patted Vincent on the shoulder. "Buddy, you have no idea how happy I am to see you on this side of the jailhouse."

Vincent grinned at his long-time friend, Catherine stepped out of Vincent's embrace so the two men could quickly hug.

Catherine put her hand in Vincent's and drew him over to Victoria.

"You were going to tell us what happened in the courtroom but you thought it best we meet at Saul's?"

"Yes, I think it would be a good idea. I can't do it until later on say around 4PM. I have papers to file and other such lawyerly things that would bore you plus I want to go over to the DA's office and find out exactly what happened. You guys take off and let's meet at 4."

"I'm going to go find Tess and tell her the good news, we'll meet you guys later at Saul's."

Vincent and Catherine stood there watching JT and Victoria go their separate ways. Catherine felt a slight tightening on her fingers from Vincent and she looked up into his handsome face.

"So, Ms. Chandler, your place or mine." Catherine reached up and drew his face to hers so she could kiss him. "Well, Mr. Keller, since I'm driving I guess you'll just have to wait and see." She kissed him again and led him out of the courthouse to her car.

Bob had just finished listening the latest breaking news that said that Vincent Keller had been released and that all charges were dismissed when a knock sounded at his front door. Going to the door he opened it to reveal a young man holding an evidence box. Shoving the box into Bob's hands the young man entered the house.

"I need to use your bathroom, where is it?" the young man known as Jason said.

"Down the hall to your left. You never cease to amaze me, you know that?" Bob said walking towards the kitchen with the box still in hand.

"That's what you hired me for." Jason said as he closed the door to the bathroom.

A few minutes later Bob heard footsteps enter the kitchen. "Want something to drink?"

"Coffee if you have it." The voice had changed pitch and Bob smiled turning around taking in the woman who only moments ago resembled a young man.

"Anna, your disguises are legendary." Bob said placing a cup of hot coffee in front of the woman

"Only to those who know of them." She said with a smile.

"You looked like a guy, I didn't even recognize you and I know you."

"That's the point. The DA is going to be looking for a young man named Jason. By the way where is your laptop? I need to get rid of the false information I set up."

"Right over there." Bob said pointing to the counter behind the woman. Anna grabbed the laptop, lifted the top and began tapping keys. After a few moments she said "Good-bye, Jason", closed the laptop and put it back where she retrieved it from. "The DA will be vexed trying to figure out what happened. Wish I were there to see it, oh wait I can be." Anna chuckled, grabbing the laptop again and started tapping keys. "Ah, there we go. I hacked into the security camera's we can now see the frenzy going on in the DA's office, too bad there's no sound."

Silently Bob and Anna watched as the DA's office resembled a hurricane as people scattered here and there. They watched as the DA gestured and marched around the office. The police showed up but by their bored expressions it was apparent they didn't have much to go on. With a sigh, Anna disconnected the site and closed the laptop. "So Bob, what now?" she asked.

"You have enough money now to go where ever you want, do whatever you want."

"True. So you have no other job for me?"

Bob chuckled, "One day I might. For now I am just going to lay low and keep an eye on things. If something changes I know where to find you."

"All right then. I'm going to fly the coop. Maybe take a trip, who knows." Anna gathered her bag of supplies she had placed beside her on the floor and left the house. She was no longer driving the beater car she had when she left the DA's office having switched it for a newer model Ford Mustang. Maybe a nice long road trip is in order, see where the wind takes her.

Bob glanced at the evidence box sitting on the counter, time to get rid of the evidence, not that it matter really, he just didn't want it hanging around his house. Taking the box he walked outside to the fire pit. Bob placed kindling in the pit and lit it with a match. Once the fire was going he slowly added larger logs until it was blazing. Once the fire was going hot, Bob started added things from the evidence box until it was empty. He briefly thought of sending the empty box to the DA but decided just in case some evidence lingered it was probably best to burn the box too but it would have been priceless to see the look on the DA's face when he saw the empty evidence box. The thought caused Bob to hoot in laughter as he watched the fire slowly die down to glowing embers, all traces of evidence now burned to ash. He wasn't finished with Vincent, not by a long shot but he was willing to wait for the right moment when Vincent's defenses were low to strike but first he had to figure out how to get Catherine away from him.

Taking his cell phone out of his pocket, he dialed a number, when he heard the line get answered he said "It is time." Then hung up the phone. He knew no further instructions were needed, he just had to wait for the results.

Catherine opened her apartment door, just as she was about to step through Vincent grabbed her and swept her up into his arms and carried her through. Catherine was laughing as he set her back down, Vincent put his hands on her face and pulled her towards him kissing her soundly, all laughter died as passion took over and Catherine clung to him, hungrily matching his passion with her own. The touch and taste of Vincent's tongue on her own sent quivers through her body and he deepened the kiss pulling her body closer to his own, melding her softness to the hard planes of his body. That she fit so perfectly to him, was so evenly matched and her lack of fear of the other side of his nature filled him with awe. How such a strong, sensual woman could love him, could love even the beast side of him was beyond comprehension, yet here she was, in his arms, giving of herself to him in wanton abandon. Vincent could feel her surrender her heart and very being to him in a way that let him know he was all she would ever want or need and he vowed to never take that for granted. He would cherish her forever, honor her with all he had and never give her cause to regret.

"I don't ever want to hurt you Catherine, I love you." Vincent said to her looking deep into her hazel eyes.

Catherine gazed back into Vincent's tawny eyes, fascinated by the changing color due to the struggle he was having with his beast nature that indicated his emotions were raging through his system all because of her. She smiled back at him, "I love you, too."

Vincent closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Catherine's, breathing deeply, he could smell the scent of desire coming off her and it was wreaking havoc on his senses. Vincent reclaimed Catherine's mouth in a soul searing kiss as they slowly started to make their way to her bedroom, a trail of clothes laying in their wake.

Once they were in Catherine's bedroom Vincent stepped slightly away from her to gaze lovingly upon her form. Catherine had inadvertently stepped into the early afternoon sun streaming through her bedroom window causing her skin to take on a radiant glow. "You are so beautiful." Vincent said before he once again pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply, lowering her onto the bed. Vincent was going to savor every moment, every touch every nuance of the woman he loved more than his own life. Trailing kisses down Catherine's body, he suckled at her nipples as she arched her back in pleasure, his hand softly skimming her stomach and hips, running his hand down her thigh and under lifting her, pressing her body closer to his. Catherine ran her hands through Vincent's hair pulling him back up to kiss her mouth as her hands clung to him, pressing her body tightly to his. Catherine's soft moans echoed Vincent's as they touched and explored each other, wanting union, yet holding back for as long as possible. Vincent placed his fingers onto Catherine's soft wetness, she cried out his name as she pressed her sensitive bud against his fingers as he continued to stroke her. Vincent's eyes glowed as he watched her climax "Vincent" she cried out, "please," she wanted to feel him inside her and her eyes pleaded with him to comply and with a throaty growl Vincent did as she asked burying himself deep inside her. Her heat was nearly his undoing as he held them still while he regained control, he was not going to let this end too quickly. Vincent gazed into Catherine's eyes before capturing her mouth as he moved against her, her own movements matching his. They paced themselves slowly feeling each other in their movements, the friction causing nerve endings to jump and quiver as their pace slowly increased and their breathing became more erratic. In a sudden burst of light, Catherine cried out as her orgasm shot through her body and she clung tightly to Vincent as his own climax burst out from him. They clung to each other as their bodies slowly came back to earth, neither wanting the moment to end. Slowly Vincent rolled off Catherine and pulled her into his side, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Vincent?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't want to go out to dinner."

"You don't?"

"Nope, I want to stay right here in this bed with you."

Vincent chuckled "Oh you do, do you" he teased

"Yes, I think we should just skip going out. We could take a shower, lounge around, order in."

"You want to take a shower? That could prove to be quite enjoyable." Vincent said as he rolled over to face Catherine kissing her as he spoke.

"Good clean fun." She answered as she returned his kisses, her hands stroking his back, pulling him close.

The moment was interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone, the sound surprising them. Catherine was sure she had shut off the sound but somehow it must have reactivated during her and Vincent's little dance to her bedroom. Catherine reached over the side of the bed to her jeans and pulled the cell out of her pocket, she saw that she had missed a call from Tess as well as three text messages to call her.

"It sounds urgent, I better see what's up." Catherine said as she dialed Tess's number.

"Tess what's up?" Catherine asked. She listened as Tess explained the nature of her call. Vincent watched as the color drained out of Catherine's face and he became alarmed as she sat down hard on the edge of the bed. "Are you sure? When did this happen? Do they know who did it or why?" Catherine listened again. Vincent was curious about the call, mainly because it appeared to have caused Catherine some distress but he steeled himself against listening in, Catherine was sure to fill him in once she was finished her conversation. Deciding instead to go and make coffee, Vincent pulled his pants on and walked out to the kitchen leaving Catherine to talk to Tess in private. A few moments later Vincent heard Catherine's footsteps come into the kitchen area, turning he put a cup of coffee down for her, she looked adorable wearing his shirt but the look in her eyes was serious.

"Catherine, what's the matter?"

"It's Gabe. He's dead."

"What? How? What happened?"

"It appears that he may have committed suicide, there's even a note but I can't see him doing that. He was so grateful that I saved his life a year ago, why would he want to kill himself now?" Catherine couldn't help the tears that came to her eyes, even though things hadn't worked out with Gabe and herself she did care about him. Vincent came around the counter to Catherine's side and pulled her into his arms.

"You're right it doesn't make sense. Do you know what the note said?"

"No, Tess wouldn't read it to me, she said it was a bunch of depressing mumbo jumbo, her words." Catherine wiped the tears from her cheeks and gave Vincent a rueful smile.

"Ah, Sweetheart, I'm sorry. I know you cared about him." Catherine wrapped her arms around Vincent and held him tightly.

"I did care about him. Thank you." She tightened her arms around Vincent's waist and rested her head on his chest.

"For what?" Vincent said, running his hands through her silky hair.

"For understanding and not getting all bent out of shape."

"Why? Because you are sad that a friend has died? What a silly thing to say."

Catherine pulled back a bit to look up into Vincent's face. "It's actually not as silly as you think, you're just a rare and special kind of guy, other guys might not be so understanding."

"Or they are just not the right kind of guy?"

"You know, there is that."

"Maybe I should just help you get over your sadness?" Vincent said kissing her lightly, teasing her.

"Really?" Catherine giggled against his lips, teasing him back.

"Ahuh." He said nipping her bottom lip.

"Vincent." Catherine said pushing lightly on his chest

"Yes?"

"Tess, wants us to meet her and JT at the dinner with Victoria. We have no time for this now, we must get ready."

Vincent sighed. "As you wish, my lady. We will continue this later? Ya?"

"I certainly hope so." Catherine said giving him a quick kiss before sauntering off towards the bedroom to get cleaned up and dressed.

JT and Tess were already at Saul's and seated when Catherine and Vincent showed up. A few moments later Victoria arrived and the five of them decided to not waste any more time with preliminaries.

Catherine asked the first question, the one that was on all their minds "What on earth happened in that courtroom? I still can't believe that the DA just dropped all the charges."

"Okay, so this is what I found out. Apparently an evidence box that was supposed to arrive at the courthouse has walked away. The DA's office had an intern who by all intents and purposes was reliable and authentic, at least until today. All background checks and references looked legitimate, grade point average, school teachers even a letter from the Dean at Harvard University all checked out. This was a top notch infiltration. When the DA got back to his office all traces of the intern were gone, all of it. The DA called Harvard and talked with the Dean. Somehow this intern had been able to re-route the original call the DA had made when he took the intern on because when he called the Dean again it wasn't the same person. There are no finger prints, no hairs and no fibres. It's as if this person never existed. They checked back on security tapes to see if they could run his picture through facial recognition and this intern never once had his face captured, he would always be either looking down or away. There's more. The file the DA had on Vincent? Gone. All of it. This person drugged the janitor and under disguise went through the offices, acting like a janitor and once he obtained Vincent's file, he exchanged all the documentation with gibberish. The DA is supposed to supply the defence with all the documentation and evidence that they have before court begins. The packet I got basically had the coroner's report that didn't say much other than how Mr. Windsor died and a transcript of an anonymous call. Nothing new there and definitely nothing that can be used as evidence against Mr. Keller. All other documentation that was supposed to be in that package was gone."

"Are you saying someone sabotaged the DA's case in order to have the charges against me dropped?" Vincent enquired.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. "

"Why didn't the DA just explain what happened and ask for a continuance so he could re-gather his information?"

"What could he do? All the evidence is gone. Even Mr. Windsor is gone, he was cremated. There are no pictures, no reports, no tapes, nothing. It's as though it never happened. Even if a witness were found, it would be very hard to collaborate because there is no evidence. Oh and I already filed to have your record expunged. Even though you were cleared of all charges, that you were accused will remain on your record unless it's removed."

Vincent, Catherine, JT and Tess all sat back in stunned silence.

Victoria was enjoying watching the foursome process what they heard. In all her days as a lawyer, she herself had never heard of such a thing happening.

"Thank you Victoria, I had no idea about having my record cleared. But what I don't understand is who would do all this? Who would even have the means and opportunity to come up with such an elaborate ruse, carry it out and have it all work out this way in such a short amount of time?" Vincent queried.

"My guess, is that it is probably the same person who paid for your all your legal costs. Speaking of, this letter here releases the Windsor fortune into your name. This day just keeps getting better for you doesn't it."

Vincent took the letter from Victoria's hand.

"The Will was being contested by Windsor's estate lawyers because you were imprisoned but once you were cleared the Probate Judge signed the release. There are no other relatives and the will was quite specific, Tori wanted you to have it all, including some Curio Shop that looks like it's been out of business for a very long time."

"This is incredible. I'm having a bit of a hard time processing all this." Vincent said.

"Buddy, holy crap you're a rich man." JT said after reading the letter Victoria gave to Vincent.

"So it would seem. I think I will buy that land the gentlemen's club sits on so you don't have to be a squatter anymore." Vincent teased his friend.

"After all the crap I had to put up with you, I figure it's the least you could do." JT teased back with a grin.

The ladies laughed at the guys antics, food arrived and the table settled into talk and laughter. Victoria left soon after dinner was completed leaving the foursome to talk long into the evening.

Epilogue (What happened to Gabe – back at the courthouse):

Gabe watched Catherine leave the courtroom with Victoria. He knew she was going to go and meet with Vincent and that they were going to be together, somehow he couldn't just walk away, he had to follow her. From a distance away he watched as Victoria, Catherine and JT lingered, talking and waiting for Vincent to finish processing his release. He watched as a door opened and Vincent emerged. He watched as Catherine hugged him, held his hand and then kiss him. He watched as Catherine led Vincent out of the courthouse and he watched them get into her car and drive away. He knew deep down that Catherine would never leave Vincent willingly and he wondered what he could do to separate them. Gabe thought of enlisting Bob's help but then decided against calling him at this moment. He knew he didn't have to tell Bob about what happened to Vincent, the media would do that for him. Instead he thought he would just go home and crack open one of the bottles of bourbon that was still left over from when he hosted Tess's birthday party a few months ago, drinking himself to oblivion sounded good about now.

Gabe called the office to let them know he was taking the rest of the day off and headed home. He opened the door to his apartment, hung up his jacket, got a glass out of the cupboard and poured himself a glass of bourbon. It was 5 o'clock somewhere he told himself grabbing the bottle of bourbon and walking over to stand at one of his apartment windows that overlooked the city. Gabe placed the bottle of bourbon on a nearby table within arm's reach, he didn't want to have to keep walking back to the kitchen to refill his glass, he just wanted to stand there and drink for as long as he could. An hour later and a half bottle of bourbon, Gabe still stood at the window when a knock sounded at the door. He wasn't expecting anyone so he decided to just ignore the knock as he poured himself another glass. Gabe was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't hear the lock being picked or the door to his apartment open but he saw the reflection in the window a moment too late as a gun was suddenly at his temple. Catherine was the last thought Gabe had when the gun was fired killing him instantly.

The shooter was very good at what he did, after all Bob only hired the best of the best. He had made sure to fire the gun from a position that would indicate self-infliction. He also had a cotton ball to dab gunpowder residue on Gabe's hand and sleeve. He also had a pre-typed suicide letter stating Gabe's reasons for committing suicide. The letter stated that he had been depressed for a long time, that he was lonely and had wanted to have a relationship with Catherine Chandler and had in fact become quite obsessed with her. He couldn't handle her being with someone else and would rather be dead than watch some other man be with the woman he loved. The shooter left the letter on the table with the near empty bottle of bourbon and quickly left the apartment. Gabe's apartment was on the top floor but the shooter knew the tenants in the suite below him should have heard the gunshot and that someone should be coming to investigate real soon. The shooter decided to take the fire exit and disappeared moments before the elevator arrived with security to check on Gabe and the shot that was heard. Security was given special permission to investigate any suspicious activity and a gunshot was certainly suspicious. After repeated knocks and calling out for Gabe to answer the door the security guard used his master key to unlock Gabe's door to gain access to his apartment. The smell of cordite in the air indicated that a gun had been fired. Cautiously walking further into the apartment, the security guard called out Gabe's name, he rounded the center island and that's when he spotted Gabe lying on the floor a pool of blood forming around his head. The guard rushed to Gabe's side, calling 911 on his shoulder walkie-talkie to his partner at the front lobby of the building. The guard put his hand to Gabe's neck but it was obvious the man was dead. It was a shame really, he thought to himself as he waited for the authorities to arrive, Gabe was such a nice guy.

The authorities asked the security guard if he had seen anyone come up to Gabe's apartment, he said the only person was a courier to another apartment and that checked out as being legitimate.

Tess arrived at the scene as soon as she heard over the scanners about the shooting, recognizing the address she hightailed it there to see what happened. The other officers were calling it a suicide and since it was out of her jurisdiction, she really had no say in the matter but she had her doubts it was a suicide, it just didn't seem to be in Gabe's nature. Even the suicide note didn't sound like Gabe. With nothing more she could do, Tess left Gabe's apartment and once she was back in her car she called Catherine to tell her what happened. Catherine wasn't picking up and Tess suspected she was occupied with Vincent now that he was free man. Deciding to meet up with JT at his place, Tess kept trying over the next hour to get a hold of Catherine and had even texted her. Finally Catherine called her back and Tess told her about Gabe. Catherine was genuinely shocked to find out what happened to Gabe and asked Tess all kinds of questions. When she asked about the note Gabe 'supposedly' left Tess decided to go with vague, mumbo jumbo, depression stuff hoping that Catherine wasn't going to go and ask for a copy of the note. What Gabe said about Catherine would hurt her unnecessarily and Tess wasn't entirely convinced the words were Gabe's anyways. Something about the whole thing just didn't make sense to her but there wasn't much she could do about it. She made sure that Catherine and Vincent were both going to show up at Saul's later before hanging up. Tess knew Gabe's death would be ruled a suicide, only those who really knew Gabe would never be certain that was the truth.

THE END.


End file.
